Fleas are found in animals and humans also. It is a small wingless insect. For survival, they feed the human or animal’s blood. They are mostly found in warm weather. The female flea gives birth to more fleas and spreads its egg onto skin, fur, or feathers. Some home remedies for fleas in human, and animals can help to get rid of it.
It can make any animal their host for breeding. You can try some safety measures to keep fleas away from your pet animals, such as:
- Keep your pet clean
- Protect them from wild and stray animals
- Check their fleas regularly
- Keep your pet indoors as much as possible and many more things.
Taking all these factors into account can save your dogs or cats from fleas.
Before getting rid of fleas, it’s important to know about their life cycle, which helps you to block them from coming back.
Life Cycle of Fleas
Fleas develop in 4 stages:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa, and
- Adult fleas.
The first stage of fleas is an egg, which is white-colored, and it hatches in 2 days. When the egg hatches it turns into the larvae, and it starts looking for food, they take meals from blood too.
Larva is transparent in the beginning and their length is at least 1–2 millimeters. After feeding, they become dark-colored.
In the pupa stage, the larva is well-developed, and it starts attaching to something and converts into a cocoon. It starts to change into an adult flea. When the pupa hatches, the adult fleas are ready to come out from the cocoon and find an immediate host.
In case, the flea is not able to get food, it will die in a few days. After feeding, the female fleas will start placing up to 50 eggs in a period of three months. The whole method starts again when female fleas lay their eggs.
What Happens When Fleas Bite a Human or Animal?
When fleas bite humans, it can be itchy, and painful and, can trigger an allergic reaction. But it doesn’t have any serious impact on your health. It especially bites on legs, feet, or ankles. They feed human or animal blood as part of their diet.
Humans may experience several health complications after the flea bite such as irritated skin, redness around the bite area, an allergic reaction like hives, rash swelling, etc.
If you have red dots on your body or face, it can also be a sign of flea bite. Speak with your doctor if you develop an allergic reaction or other health issues.
Home Remedies to Get Rid Of Fleas
By using these home remedies, you can keep your entire family or pets flea-free.
Garlic Water:
With the help of this remedy you can easily kill the fleas. It is a simple method which is known as a natural flea killer. Take garlic as you need and chop it.
Take hot water in a separate container and put the garlic on it. After that, keep it for 12 hours. After following these steps, take out the garlic from the mixture. Now you can spray this solution on animal skin or flea areas. This may help you to get rid of fleas.
Rosemary Spray And Lemongrass:
This mixture is easy to make. Add lemon slices to a bowl. Chop the rosemary leaves and add it to a mixture. Take one liter of boiled water and pour it into the bowl.
In addition, you can also add four or five drops of geranium oil. Leave the mixture overnight and the next day, strain the liquid in the spray bottle. This method helps control fleas.
Mixture of Citronella:
Citronella oil comes from Cymbopogon nardus grasses. This oil is a natural flea repellent. Add 10–20 drops of Citronella oil, 5–10 drops of tea tree oil, 5–10 drops of lemon grass oil, and also add 5–7 drops of geranium oil in the warm water.
Now, use this mixture to kill the fleas. Shake the mixture before every use. Citronella is also used to repel cockroaches, ticks, ants, etc. You can also use citronella oil in grounds and yards available at home.
Spray Vinegar Mixture:
Add a cup of white vinegar and apple cider vinegar to the water. Add four or five drops of cider oil or lavender oil and mix it. Pour this mixture in a spray bottle. Now, sprinkle it on your pet carefully, by avoiding their eyes, nose, and sensitive areas.
Instead of spraying, you can make a clean cloth wet with the mixture and gently wipe around the ears, face and neck. This solution helps to remove the fleas and may add shine to your pet’s coats.
Use Flea Comb:
With a flea comb, you can comb your pet regularly. This comb is safe, and specially used for removing fleas. The teeth of the comb are very close together which catches the fleas.
Regular combing helps remove the adult fleas and their eggs. There are different types of flea combs like manual and electric flea comb. The electric comb will not harm your pets.
Conclusion
All the above home remedies are useful for removing the fleas. Remember, some pets or human skin may be sensitive, so before using any ingredient test it first.
Break the life cycle as soon as possible to get rid of fleas because if you kill only adult fleas, imagine how many larvae are developing again. It is important to wash the blankets, clothes, and toys of pets to remove the dirt of fleas.